Travis - The Cardiokinase... and then with that, the K2 MK7. I'd also go for high-dose Omega 3 fish oils... 4 - 6 grams daily. Remember that the focus is to lower silent inflammation that causes the thick, sticky blood. So targeting inflammation goes to the core issue. So...dietary issues plus lots of antioxidants and Vitamin C... such as the LipoC version. The Cardiokinase addresseby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'm working on putting together an article for my blog and I would like some info from some of the seasoned afibbers in here. I get at least one email a week through my blog asking me about natural blood thinners. Specifically, what supplements help "thin" the blood or keep your blood "slippery." The two I'm most familiar with are vitamin E and nattokinase (Cardiokinby tvanslooten - AFIBBERS FORUM
Elaine… Regarding your Chads score…. Your age gives you 1 point and being female gives you another point. You are right on the cusp of walking on thin ice… depending on how frequently your AF occurs. Those markers of inflammation that lead to sticky, thick blood need to be monitored regularly. Certainly, there are a variety of supplements that help with that, but it’s important to know andby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hello Redhead…. Good questions and observations. Above all else, no one needs to be at risk for forming adverse clots and many factors in addition to having Afib should be considered. However, Afib definitely presents a threat. From a medico/legal liability aspect, medical practitioners are obligated to caution the patient and prescribe what is considered standard-of-care protocols. Yoby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Starwarsfan/Ben... Back when I first began my afib saga, warfarin was the only blood thinner available and I didn't tolerate that well at all...so I took the "natural" approach. I was concerned about the risk of clotting with events of prolonged duration, as many of mine were, and did a lot of research on what influences clotting or makes 'thick, sticky blood.' I usby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hello Herman - As I responded to your post of July 15, I'm a big fan of nattokinase and other fibrinolytic enzymes that help reduce blood hyper-viscosity. In my post from April 15, titled Clot Risk, is a collection of previous post links on the clot risk topic since it's so very important and because of my own experience with a clot in my heart. The most important point of whichby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Pirate - Regarding anticoagulants - it's important to know your clotting risk factors that involve what makes your blood thick and sticky (hyper-viscosity) and therefore more likely to clot more readily when the turbulence created by afib is in action. Often mentioned to emphasize this is the old saying.... "Churn cream, you get butter. Churn blood, you get a clot." When I bby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
greyhound gal.... I'm glad you found our forum, but sorry you have had the afib experience. From all the info you've provided, I have several comments and the most important one is to definitely be consulting with an Electrophysiologist as they can most often provide more useful assistance. I'll just randomly respond to several items that may be connected to your arrhythmia onby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hello and welcome, LeAnn - There are other considerations in addition to the CHADS risk score that you may find useful in helping to make your decision. My afib saga began when I was 59. The events were scattered and short at first, and then eventually, lasted much longer... often over 24 hours. I wasn't able to tolerate warfarin, so I researched what helped reduce blood viscosity aby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Nick - sorry for the late response. In the book I mentioned by Udo Erasmus, PhD, Fats that Heal _ Fats that Kill... he has a chapter on the benefits of flax seed both from the fiber standpoint but also the essential fatty acids. He mentions that references to flax healing properties are "found in Greek and Roman writings dating around 650 BC. He says Hippocrates, in the 5th century BC,by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks, Shannon for the explanation and clarification. Important information to have here as a reference link. Also, above and beyond the question “to thin or not” relative to ablation procedures and CHADs scores, it’s especially important in terms of overall preventive health guidelines be aware of one’s blood viscosity status. For afibbers and former afibbers not on OACs, it’s obviouslyby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Larry - Since Shannon attends so many conferences on treating arrhythmia, he's the one to respond about why testing either isn't done or not considered necessary because of the way these new anticoags function in the body. I've never been told that I should have a periodic test, either. I'm presuming it's because these work well - consistently, which must have beby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Clay - yes, metabolic testing is definitely important. My FM MD likes to test a couple times a year or even more frequently when working on a specific issue. Fortunately, Medicare does cover most of the labs... ie, Genova Metabolic Profile testing as one example. The genetic tests such as George has mentioned help tremendously in guiding targeted supplementation for genetic interferences.by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Good review on lectins at this link that also contains a link to a presentation by Dr. Gundry involving lectins and Inflammation...which is always important info for afibbers wanting to avoid the thick, sticky blood consequences of inflammation Excerpt Lectins Are Highly Inflammatory One major concern is that most lectins are proinflammatory, meaning they trigger inflammation and create aby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Clot risk Welcome to new readers! My focus on the Afibbers Forum is to create awareness over important issues related to Afib and overall health to promote longevity. Since we have many new readers joining us daily, this is an important reminder to be aware of the potential for risk of stroke or heart attack from blood clots that can form in the heart during prolonged bouts of atrial fby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Spencer - Here's an overview of important considerations for you to understand. Part of this was a response to another afibber a while ago... and I've elaborated a bit more. My intention is not to overwhelm you, so read in small doses, but each point is an important consideration as much of it relates to lifestyle 'habits' that can be altered and which are known to have siby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Jackie- I am about 8 weeks in to a daily constant battle with Afib, and ...?( flutter, odd beat patterns) The Afib is usually 10-20 minutes. Up to a couple of hours, and one or two that lasted 4+ hours. I am in the medical system now, my cardio doc. just suggested the 82mg aspirin, and he gave me a low dose prescription for beta blockers. I am simply riding it out now, making some biby Jeff Thomlinson - AFIBBERS FORUM
Age - certainly, but there are many other important and influencing factors of which we should be aware when it comes to hyperviscosity and the risk of stroke and MI. The inflammation factor is huge. This former post lists various other markers that contribute to the tendency for blood to become thick and sticky. It's important that everyone, especially afibbers, have these labs and tby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Liz - When it's necessary to isolate the Left Atrial Appendage (LAA), the blood thinner requirement is mandatory until it's proven by the TEE... transesophageal echocardiogram... that the clearance velocity out of the appendage is in the optimal or safe range. The isolation procedure can result in lowered "clearance velocity" or efficacy from that appendage and when that haby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
The issue of hyperviscosity or the tendency for "thick, sticky blood" comes to mind when I read this. Blood that is thick and sticky will always tend to clot more easily for obvious reasons. There are many natural methods to help thin the blood and the first consideration is always, underlying systemic inflammation or 'silent inflammation'... that which goes unnoticed (unlby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hello Kevin, and welcome. Thanks for sharing your story. I have several questions which I'll ask later, but wanted to share with you my experience from long ago when the Atkins diet was newly popular here in the US. I and several others thought it sounded healthy and decided to follow that eating plan. There were three of us and one reaction we all experienced was driven by hypoglyceby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Reuben - There is always a risk for an AF event to go unnoticed...especially during sleep...which obviously increases your risk for clot formation.... especially if your blood tends toward hyperviscosity... or what I usually term, thick, sticky blood. There are several recent posts related to the topic of hyperviscosity and testing of factors that are indicators or markers of blood viscosity...by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Liz - I, too, have low platelets and could not use warfarin without many problems. Now that the new anticoags are available, and I did have to use those for the last ablations, I tolerated them better. Not great but better. Check out this thread ....on natural thinners and assess your testing for all of the markers that influence blood hyperviscosity...or sticky, thick blood and the riskby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Aaron - Thanks for your very detailed reply. I appreciate your in-depth examination of this topic as it certainly is both relevant and important. For obvious reasons regarding medico/legal liability, the information provided here is just that… “informational” and not intended as absolutes or medical directives. As you probably know, it’s typically against FDA rules to allow a suppleby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Aaron - Thanks. I appreciate your sharing the information you have gleaned. If I've learned one thing about various bottlers of supplements, it can be difficult to uncover accurate details from some, but not all. I'm not posting this to throw stones at any in particular but have learned to trust some more than others...and find often the wording is skillfully manipulated. Thatby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Travis... Take the time to read CR 39... which is the summary "introduction" to Nattokinase back when we first began discussing and using it. The points on safety and function are all addressed. These are dated 2005 which is three years after I began using and researching extensively so reliable information could be provided for afibbers who are interested in this approach. I'by Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Robert - Almost everyone, at least initially, has deep rooted fear when Afib enters their lives. I've always felt it is because it is the heart and we all associate that to a heart attack and often death. After numerous Afib events, we begin to realize that we haven't died and life does go on, we see a cardiologist who may or may not help and we begin to look for ways to cope and aby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Eric - Much depends on the blood's typical viscosity status... or thickness. There are many influences that cause blood to be overly thick and sticky...and which make it a definite risk for clot formation with dire consequences... even without arrhythmia. Add in, arrhythmia and the risk factor increases... so the arrhythmia time factor depends on viscosity. You can scan through thisby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Joy - Sorry to be late in responding. One of the comments none of us like to hear is that regarding the "age factor"... but realistically, we can't ignore the fact that along with age, often comes detrimental accumulations of habits and 'wear and tear' on our body. It's a multifaceted topic... the ravages of aging, but a short version is that it's commonly kby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM
Steve - Yes, welcome and thanks for sharing your story. As Shannon notes, the Life Style Management approach should be top priority for any chronic ailment and especially at younger ages that can benefit more fully from making the needed corrections before too much damage is done. It’s known that vitamin D is essential to health and definitely heart health. Finally, testing for vitamin Dby Jackie - AFIBBERS FORUM